Like a Raven
by maddy-liddell
Summary: A different take on the classic Alice in Wonderland story. Work in progress.


Boredom was the venom that coursed consistently through her veins. After all, what was one to do when time held no meaning? Reaching for the handle, she opened the door and noted the all-familiar jingle of the bell-an evident tone for the librarian to recall customers when presently occupied. The older woman glanced upward and smiled when she recognized the female. No, she wasn't a stranger within this particular building. Many afternoons and evenings were spent assembled on the far cushiony beanbag chair stretched out; eyes glued to an unfamiliar book.

She walked by the numerous shelves showcasing the fresh arrivals without giving them much thought. Tonight she craved something...exotic; different from the traditional romance or mystery. Perhaps, she thought to herself...she'd leave it up to fate. Realizing an over dramatic choice of words, the female silently chuckled to herself. Quick-picking and curiosity together always had been a weakness.

Curious strides between the grand volumes and chronicles of leather bound paperbacks and hardcovers slowed to a pause. As if by urge, she let her fingertips trace the aged writings, feeling the ancient dustings of dirt build to a covering layer around her digits.

Geez, when exactly was the last time these novels were looked at? She closed her eyes and waved her hand in a circular pattern around the books all the while making a possibly annoying humming noise—her way of acting like a 'metal detector' for books.

"This one!" She grabbed the book making sure not to steal a peek at the title and quickly choose two more in the same fashion. Instantly determined and satisfied on her method of choice the female began walking up to the check-out counter but was ushered on by the librarian who clearly had one to many books to carry.

"Go ahead, hun! I'm a bit busy here and I trust that you'll be back before the week's end." The librarian smiled and continued her work without skipping a beat.

An ambrosia; another venom-the alcohol marinated throughout her tissues and fifteen chapters later, the dark haired female set the thriller upon her coffee table growing increasingly disinterested. She was tired of skimming through the pages searching for a few sentences that could continuously hold her attention!

"How the hell did I even read that much of this bullshit?" she commented to herself.

Rubbing her temples she let loose a faint chuckle.

"Haha! Let's blame it on the liquor!"

The female grinned in satisfaction when stretching out her body on the couch - every pop and crack was a temporary relief (which was often followed by a sigh of relief. Sapphire hues searched the area of her living room in a brief attempt to locate her two felines: Icarus and Annette. A blend of orange and grey fur was spotted near the far room corner where the cats had been napping together for what appeared to be quite some time. She smiled at the cozy scenario and returned to viewing the unknown selection of books that she had previously tossed aside. Interestingly enough, the first book she grasped didn't have much detail at all...if any. Hell the pages were...

"...umm..."

She flipped back and forth from start to finish, front to back and still her results were the same. Nothing.

"Blank pages?"

Perhaps the bottle of brandy she had been taking swigs from all night was finally causing her to hallucinate? Alice furrowed her eyebrows and scanned the mysterious book once more for her own sake and sanity. Maybe between the alcohol and the concentrated reading her perception of her surroundings could've been clouded? It was a possibility. Either that or the words were printed in white ink.

Leaving the book open, she wandered towards the slumbering house cats and bent to give them a quick pet. The grey one who was appropriately name Icarus must have been scared by the sudden movement because as soon as she reached for the male, he jumped back and thrust his claws out, nicking her palm in the process. The wound remained normal for less than thirty seconds before glossy shades of red spilled from the line and oozed down her wrist.

"Shit! Icky! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!"

The feline ignored her apologies and sank back to his spot, joining the other furry creature.

"Oh fine! Be that way!"

Just noticing the extent of the gash, she automatically walked towards the kitchen sink to rinse it out with soap and water but that distinct noise-a splatter upon a solid surface-caused the female to look down. Beads of her blood had crashed upon the desolate pages, turning the book into a crimson canvas.

"Dammit!" she cursed.

Beginning to walk towards the sink each footstep felt heavy as if she was walking through quicksand. Her entire body became sluggish and her eyelids fluttered, trying to fight the sudden feeling that was taking over. It took only seconds for darkness to consume her.

"Wake up, child. We've been waiting for you..."

Her temples throbbed and any attempt at opening her eyes, failed. Not wanting to panic she tried to move her arms and legs but stopped when intense, sharp jolts shot through her body.

What's going on? Am I dead? I can still feel, even though it's pain...

Making an attempt to open her lids once more, the welded feeling slowly dissolved and the initial image she receive was that of a ...sunset? No, that didn't feel right. She did however acknowledge that whatever was above her, it was indeed a sky. Patches of stars were woven into shades of plum, burgundy, onyx, and a sullied gold.

What kind of sky is this? Where am I?

A plethora of questions invaded her mind, needing immediate answers but her motor skills were poor for the moment. All she could do was glare at the eerie yet breathtaking atmosphere. She tried to wiggle her fingers and let out a hiss when the tip of her pointer grazed a sharp object, slicing it open. Was she just accident prone? In the past life, she had to have been some magnificent Queen of overwhelming power and now karma was returning to bite her in the ass.

Patience was a virtue-one she did not possess. Taking the risk of another injury, the girl inched her head towards the right in an attempt to view her hand. The rest of her body would not respond to the signals that her brain was sending. She concluded that being paralyzed wasn't a factor because she was able to move her head - even if it was only slightly. What she saw before she blacked out once more left her momentarily puzzled. Shattered porcelain lie in tiny, broken pieces scattered around her slim form. A maroon liquid blended in with the color of her oozing blood that draining on to the white chips. Her last thought was realizing the cause of one of her many injuries.

The ground underneath began to quake and an unfamiliar sound of pitched clanging echoed into her ears. Alice tilted her head in an attempt to focus in on the source of the quake and noise and realized the ground her body lied on was actually a table lined with soft white cloth that flowed off the sides. There were tiny porcelain tea pots and cups and saucers spread out around the table. No cup looked exactly alike-some were oddly shaped, some were oddly colored. A white misty steam flowed out of the nozzle of the tea pots and wonderful scents began to filter the air. For a moment Alice seemed completely focused on the nearest tea pot as it emitted the scent of rosemary, but then her line of sight was clouded when a pair of black shoes stepped in front of the tea pot she was looking at.


End file.
